van Dyk Gallery

Francisco Zuniga

1912-1998

Zuniga, who was born in Costa Rica in 1912, was
exposed to art at a very young age, because his father was a sculptor of
religious statues. From 1928 to 1934 he was his father’s assistant in
the workshop and he also began receiving art lessons in drawing and
painting. Zuniga’s early learning was influenced heavily by the
Renaissance style.

Zuniga developed rapidly into one of Costa Rica’s main artists. He
belonged to a generation of creators who published an album of
xylographs in 1934; some of the artists were: Zuniga, de la Cruz,
Salazar Herrera, Amighetti. Zuniga, like other artists, learned the
xylograph technique on his own, with books as his only reference. His
experience in his father’s workshop helped him master this art quickly.
Furthermore, in the 1930’s, Costa Rica experienced a revival of the
Arts, when one of the newspapers, the “Diario de Costa Rica” promoted
several exhibitions. Apart from Zuniga, other painters and sculptors
benefited from these opportunities.

After publishing this important work, some events in Zuniga’s life
propelled him out of the country. In 1935 he won the first Central
American price for a sculpture that depicted an Indian warrior’s head,
called Agonia de la raza. Zuniga was asked to collaborate with Oliverio
Martinez in the monument depicting the Mexican Revolution; this of
course, was an important step towards international fame.

His active participation in the Arts in Mexico, won Zuniga recognition
in the United States. In the 1940’s , the Metropolitan Museum in New
York bought some of his drawings, and other museums soon followed,
buying his xylographs and sculptures. During this decade, Zuniga also
exhibited his work in several cities of the United States. Furthermore,
in 1947 Zuniga embarks on another type of creation- his own family. He
married Elena Laborde in Mexico, with whom he had three children.

After Zuniga’s success in Mexico and in the United States, his works
were exhibited in many other countries. Zuniga continued creating and
participating in exhibitions and large projects, mostly in Mexico. He
lived in this country until his death on August of 1998. Paco Zuniga is
considered one of the most prolific artists in Costa Rica and in Latin
America; even though he chose to spend the rest of his days in Mexico,
his presence lives on in Costa Rica through the numerous statues and
other works that adorn buildings.